Mexican Foreign Minister Becomes 'Honorary Citizen of Seoul'

Mayor Oh Se-hoon Awards Honorary Citizenship to Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Marcelo Ebrard Casaub?n, Mexico's Foreign Minister, has become an honorary citizen of Seoul.

Seoul City announced that Marcelo Ebrard, who visited South Korea from the 3rd to the 6th, visited Seoul City Hall where Mayor Oh Se-hoon awarded him the honorary citizenship certificate. This visit marks the first official visit by a Mexican Foreign Minister to South Korea in seven years since 2015.

Seoul’s ‘Honorary Foreign Citizen’ title is awarded to foreigners who have resided continuously for three years or cumulatively for five years in Seoul, or to distinguished foreign guests visiting the city.

Marcelo Ebrard, who served as the Mayor of Mexico City, Seoul’s sister city, from 2006 to 2012, was recognized for his efforts in expanding policies for marginalized communities and improving mobility, and was awarded the ‘2010 World Mayor Prize’.

This is the second meeting between Mayor Oh and Minister Ebrard. During his tenure as Mayor of Mexico City, Ebrard met Mayor Oh in 2010 when Oh visited Mexico City to attend the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) conference, and they jointly signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation between the two cities in the fields of environment, transportation, tourism, culture, and IT.

Before the honorary citizenship award ceremony, Mayor Oh and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard held a meeting to discuss ways to promote economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 30th anniversary of the Seoul-Mexico City sister city relationship.

Meanwhile, the honorary citizenship certificate awarded to distinguished foreign guests makes Marcelo Ebrard the first honorary citizen of Seoul this year and the 15th recipient from Mexico. Mayor Oh said, “In this special year marking the 60th anniversary of Korea-Mexico diplomatic relations and the 30th anniversary of the Seoul-Mexico City sister city agreement, I am pleased that Marcelo Ebrard, former Mayor of Mexico City, has become an honorary citizen of Seoul. I hope that the two countries and cities will continue to share their strengths and competitiveness and actively develop a cooperative partnership.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.